Malcolm X/Transcript (Update)
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim and Moby are walking through their school hallway. Moby stops at a bulletin board showing portraits of Nelson Mandela, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. Moby pulls a letter off the bulletin board and hands it to Tim. MOBY: Beep! Tim reads from the typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, how come Malcolm X doesn't get a holiday like Martin Luther King? Curious, Shai. That's a tough question. Both Malcolm and Martin were hugely influential leaders during the American Civil Rights Movement. An animation shows Malcolm X shaking hands with and Martin Luther King, Jr. in front of the Senate building. TIM: They were focused on the same goal of achieving equality for African Americans. But they followed profoundly different approaches in their fight for freedom. King took cues from the Indian struggle to end British colonial rule. An animation shows Martin Luther King reading a book about Ghandi. A map of Middle East appears behind him with a British flag flying over India. TIM: Its leader, Mahatma Gandhi, had relied on peaceful means to liberate his people. His methods of nonviolent protest inspired King. The animation shows Ghandi leading a group of people in a peaceful march across the map of India. TIM: Malcolm X took a much more aggressive stance. That's why he's often considered controversial. The animation shows Malcom X standing with his arms crossed in front of a group of African American men. They are all wearing trench coats, and none of them are smiling. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Malcolm Little was born in Nebraska in 1925. This was during the height of segregation in America. The animation shows a map of the United States with a star in Nebraska. TIM: African Americans were kept apart from whites in public places like schools and restaurants. They could only live in certain neighborhoods and hold specific types of jobs. The screen divides to show: black children in front of a building named, "Freedmen's School;" a laundry store with a sign that reads, "We wash for white people only;" a sign in a forest clearing that reads, "Picnic site for negroes;" and a neighborhood divided by a fence, with large, well-kept houses on one side and small, rundown houses on the other. TIM: Segregation policed black behavior, too. They had to act with the utmost respect toward whites. An animation shows a black man walking down the street. He stops to remove his hat and smile at a well-dressed white woman walking by. TIM: Failure to do so ran you the risk of being jailed, beaten, even killed. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Well, segregation was worse in the South, because it was enforced by the state. An animation shows a policeman standing guard in front of a store with a "Whites Only" sign. TIM: In other parts of the country, it took a subtler form. Citizens themselves made sure that African Americans were kept down. An animation shows several white men standing guard in front of another store. A black couple walks past the store. TIM: Growing up in the Midwest, Malcolm felt this firsthand. He excelled in school, and dreamt of becoming a lawyer. An animation shows young Malcolm in a classroom. A speech bubble appears over him. Inside the bubble is an image of a golden scale. TIM: But a teacher told him to forget about that and become a carpenter instead. A white teacher pops the speech bubble with a needle. TIM: At home, Malcolm received a more encouraging message. His father, Earl, spoke out for the rights of African Americans. He organized meetings and urged his community to take a stand against bigotry. An animation shows Earl speaking at a pulpit in front of a church congregation. TIM: That made the Littles targets of violent hate groups. When Malcolm was only six, his father died under very suspicious circumstances. An animation shows Malcolm's family in a cemetery, gathered around Earl's grave. TIM: The death fractured Malcolm's family and he ended up dropping out of school. He got caught up in a life of crime and wound up in prison. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Yeah, but it was there that he began a lifelong journey of self-education. He read constantly, devouring everything from history to science to philosophy. An animation shows Malcolm reading in a prison cell. More books pile up in his cell as time passes. TIM: And began studying the teachings of a black Muslim group, The Nation of Islam. Up to that point, he hadn't thought much of religion. But the NOI was like no religion he'd ever heard of. Its ideas seemed to explain the deep anger Malcolm was feeling about where his life had ended up. Malcom holds the bars of his cell door. He watches a white guard walk by. MOBY: Beep! TIM: The NOI said that America would always be a racist country. And that African Americans would never get a fair shake here. The only reasonable response was black nationalism: the desire to carve out a completely distinct country for black people. An animation shows a map of the United States. Red, black, and green stripes, the colors of a flag representing black nationalism, stretch across several southern states. TIM: This might be in the United States, or maybe even in Africa. An animation shows a red, black, and green arrow crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the U.S. to Africa. MOBY: Beep! TIM: African Americans would have their own schools, businesses, and government. An animation shows a red, black, and green flag waving in the wind. TIM: Many Civil Rights leaders saw these views as extreme or even racist. But Malcolm was drawn to the Nation's goals. While in prison, he began writing to their leader, Elijah Muhammad. The screen splits to show Malcolm writing a letter from his cell, and Elijah Muhammad reading the letter in his office. TIM: He joined the movement and took the name Malcolm X. This was a common practice among NOI members. An animation shows Malcolm's hand as he signs "Malcolm Little" on a letter. He scratches an "X" over "Little." TIM: Many African Americans had inherited their last names from slave owners. An animation shows slaves picking cotton on a plantation. A sign reads, "Little Plantation." TIM: The "X" was a rejection of that legacy. It also represented a broken link to their African roots. A red "X" is drawn over the "Little Plantation" sign. TIM: They could never really know their real names or larger family history. Taking pride in their African heritage was a big part of NOI teachings. An animation shows Malcolm inspecting a genealogy book with a family tree on the cover. MOBY: Beep! TIM: After his release from prison, Malcolm X became of a champion of these ideas. He gave fiery speeches promoting black nationalism. An animation shows Malcolm speaking passionately at a podium in front of a crowd. He holds up a newspaper with the headline, "Seven Unarmed Negroes Shot in Cold Blood by Los Angeles Police." TIM: He also criticized mainstream Civil Rights leaders' message of tolerance and harmony. It made little sense when African Americans were being abused and killed. Eventually, Malcolm X was featured in a news program about the Nation of Islam. The animation of Malcolm's speech turns black and white and appears on a television screen. TIM: He said the NOI didn’t want to improve relations between the races. And that whites were corrupt and murderous. The show shocked its national audience. Some saw the anti-white sentiment as its own form of bigotry. The screen splits to show two families watching Malcolm's speech in their living rooms: one family is black, and the other is white. The white family turns off the TV. TIM: But plenty of African Americans felt the NOI was finally giving them a voice. The black family looks happy. TIM: Membership doubled in the weeks following the broadcast. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Malcolm X helped take them from a small group to a national movement. He even inspired the world's most famous athlete, boxer Muhammad Ali, to join. An animation shows Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali smiling for the cameras. TIM: But as the media attention grew, so did tension within the NOI. Elijah Muhammad began to see Malcolm's popularity as a threat. An animation shows Elijah Muhammad reading a newspaper with a picture of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. He frowns and crumples it up. TIM: And Malcolm began to question NOI leadership. He split from the Nation of Islam in 1964. An animation shows Malcolm kneeling to pray in a mosque. TIM: He converted to the Sunni sect of the religion and set off on a pilgrimage to Mecca. An animation shows a map of the world. A dotted line crosses the Atlantic Ocean from the United States to Saudi Arabia. TIM: This journey to the birthplace of Islam is a rite of passage for Muslims. In Saudi Arabia, he saw people of all races worshipping together. An animation shows a diverse crowd gathered together in a huge mosque. TIM: On a trip to Africa, he saw white students caring for the sick and needy. Malcolm began to see the plight of black Americans from a new perspective. Unfortunately, he would have few chances to share his new outlook. He was assassinated less than a year after his journey to Mecca. An animation shows people huddled around Malcolm's fallen body on a stage, next to a podium with bullet holes. TIM: It's widely assumed he was murdered by agents of the Nation of Islam. Revenge for Malcolm's criticism of Elijah Muhammad. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Malcolm's views had softened in the last year of his life. But he never came around to King's focus on peaceful demonstration. An animation shows Martin Luther King, J. marching peacefully with a group of people carrying signs that read, "End Segregation!" and "Jobs for All!" TIM: He was more in touch with folks' frustrations than their sense of hope. An animation shows Malcolm giving a fiery speech. TIM: A big part of his appeal was that he provided an outlet for this anger. I'm sure that's… partly why there's no national holiday for him, like Martin Luther King Day. Moby scribbles something on a notepad while Tim speaks. TIM: Hold on, what are you writing? MOBY: Beep. TIM: You can't just use what I said in your Malcolm X report! Moby walks away as he continues to scribble. TIM: Have you learned nothing from our Plagiarism movie?! Category:BrainPOP Transcripts